Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Now what?

So, last night the Worcester City Council passed the recommended Worcester Public Schools' budget amount for next year. That puts us $1.1 million over required for FY15, but due to the carryover from this year, it is $2.3 million under required spending all together. This will also necessitate budget cuts across the board, from teachers, to clerical staff, to custodians, to administrators. And we're not increasing in a myriad of places we should: we're not buying new textbooks, increasing student supplies, putting the money into facilities maintenance we should, rebuilding or creating programs in gifted & talented, adding the support staff we need, and so forth.
Now what?
The City Council is currently passing the budget in finance committee; they don't have a budget until they pass each account in finance, recess from finance to regular session, and pass the bottom line. I expect that this will happen next week. I don't expect that there will be any changes (most particularly for the schools) during that, however.
As the Worcester School Committee begins budget sessions next Thursday (also at 4), we'll be taking up a budget with those cuts, therefore, and I don't see that we have much of a choice but to make them.
The one thing to keep an eye on is this, as expressed by Councilor Rushton last night:

"when free cash or additional revenues are to be had, the Worcester Public Schools will have their fair share" Rushton #worcbudget#worcpoli
— Tracy Novick (@TracyNovick) May 27, 2014

Keep in mind that when city free cash is certified (after the close of FY14, which happens in July; usually early fall), free cash will include whatever the state has passed or passes for funding for schools for FY14 since the Council passed the budget. The increased charter reimbursement? The McKinney-Vento reimbursement? Those are school allocations sent to the city, but they'll be sitting city accounts until certification. We should at the very least expect to see that money come to the schools, as the state intended.
That won't be probably until after the start of school, so it will probably be too late for teaching staff. For staffing next year, last night's line item is what we live with, I fear.

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A note

What is posted on who-cester is my work and my views; what is posted here does not necessarily represent the views of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees (for whom I work as a field director). You'll need to look at masc.org for that.

The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Chapter V, Section II.

Wisdom, and knowledge, as well as virtue, diffused generally among the body of the people, being necessary for the preservation of their rights and liberties; and as these depend on spreading the opportunities and advantages of education in the various parts of the country, and among the different orders of the people, it shall be the duty of legislatures and magistrates, in all future periods of this commonwealth, to cherish the interests of literature and the sciences, and all seminaries of them; especially the university at Cambridge, public schools and grammar schools in the towns; to encourage private societies and public institutions, rewards and immunities, for the promotion of agriculture, arts, sciences, commerce, trades, manufactures, and a natural history of the country; to countenance and inculcate the principles of humanity and general benevolence, public and private charity, industry and frugality, honesty and punctuality in their dealings; sincerity, good humor, and all social affections, and generous sentiments among the people.(John Adams, 1779)